We celebrated Tim’s birthday in Avalon with friends over the weekend and had a wonderful time! I absolutely love summer at the beach but there’s something magical about a shore town during off-season. Tim and I arrived Friday evening followed soon after by guests trickling in as the night went on – we ordered a bunch of pizzas and had a great time catching up and taking ridiculous selfies. For some reason, no matter how much space we have (and a 3 floor beach house has a LOT of space!) everyone still gathers in the kitchen ; )

Saturday morning I was up bright and early to tidy up a bit and make breakfast. Quiche, bagels and mimosas – the best way to start a weekend! Krista and I fueled up and then headed out on our 6 mile run towards the end of the island – Oh how I love that view. Broad Street here we come – 10 miles the first weekend in May!

To round out the rest of our trip – the boys golfed 18 holes, we enjoyed a delicious chicken and pulled pork taco bar, we took walks on the beach and sent golf balls flying into the ocean, watched the Masters (sense a theme?), grabbed dinner at a local hotel and relaaaaaxed. I started reading Everything. Every Thing (and finished it last night) and absolutely loved it – think Fault in our Stars young adult-ish, but phenomenal writing and a plot line anyone could relate to.

After coming back from Avalon Monday afternoon, working out every night and celebrating Tim’s birthday with our parents – this recap post is a little late ; ) But now that I’ve got nothing imminent to plan, we’ll get back to regularly scheduled programming! Hope you’re having a wonderful week so far!

I recently decided that weddings are the proms of adulthood. Dinner, dancing and dressing up with all of your best friends – the only change is that we’ve added alcohol and obviously a glass of champagne or 3 can make any event better ; ) While I’m not planning my own just yet, I’ve recently delved into the world of bridesmaid-ing and I’m learning a LOT about how to help everything run smoothly before and during the big day. This will be the first post of a series on the subject – Bridesmaid Tips & Tricks – so hopefully you can use some of our ideas (and mistakes) to make your own experience better! First up – making bridesmaid dress shopping less “dreaded”

We’ll break this down into two sections – tips for both the ladies in the bridal party and the lady of honor as well! It’s important that everyone is on the same page before starting the bridesmaid dress shopping process so you can get in, get out and look gorgeous without any drama.

Bridesmaids

Be prepared! Bring a few different bra options (normal, strapless, adhesive) and wear no-show underwear so you’ll get a good idea of how the dress will actually look on wedding day. It’s hard to love a gown when your black bra straps are distracting you ; )

Don’t critique the style. Remember that the bride may have picked out this dress so she obviously liked something about it. It’s not your place to declare that the straps are “soooo out of style” or that the material looks cheap. It’s HER day and her choice, not yours!

But on that same note: don’t be afraid to speak up (nicely) if a particular dress is uncomfortable when you try it on. If material is heavy or itchy or embellishments are rubbing against your skin, say something now or forever hold your peace.

You know the age old saying – “Don’t judge a dress by the hanger.” Okay, maybe I altered it a little bit but you get the idea. Just because you don’t love the way it looks on the rack doesn’t mean it won’t be beautiful once you actually get it on. Be open minded!

And once you try it on? Get moving! On wedding day you’ll be sitting, standing, walking, posing and dancing – so don’t hang out in front of the mirror while you’re modeling. Get an accurate idea of how the dress moves with you – no flashing the wedding guests!

Last but not least – keep alterations in mind. If you aren’t thrilled with the way the dress fits, know that seamstresses can work virtual magic on your gown. From simple hems to inserting boobs (praise hands) alterations give you a great chance at loving the outcome!

Brides

Make an appointment! This is probably pretty obvious but unless you’re only taking one bridesmaid along at a time, you’ll need to reserve dressing rooms in advance – you can also already have dresses and sizes ready to go!

Keep it small. Just your bridesmaids, if possible! Everyone in the world will have different opinions on dresses – you gotta go in knowing that you can’t please everyone. “Too many cooks in the kitchen” is a very real thing when wedding planning ; )

Know your timeline – you’ll need to reserve time to try on, then the dresses will be ordered and then alterations will need to be scheduled and completed! Make sure you start dress shopping well in advance of your wedding day.

This might not be an obvious one but I think it’s important – Try it on! Your girls might not tell you if the dress is uncomfortable for fear of having too much opinion on your special day, so put it on yourself to be sure. Dresses are expensive so try your hardest to make sure everyone will look AND feel their best all day long.

Last but not least – Feed them. Either before (keep it light) or afterwards, make sure a meal is planned to keep everyone happy and stomachs full. No one likes shopping while hangry, and cocktails wouldn’t hurt either ; )

Any other tips for bridesmaid dress shopping or being part of a wedding in general? Leave them in the comments – let’s help each other out!

Hi guys! I’m still laptopless so my blogging will be sporadic based on when I bring my work computer home. But I wanted to stop by to recap the amazingness that was our 3rd annual Galentine’s Day brunch! I hosted the girls this past Sunday for breakfast foods and mimosas and I think we made Leslie Knope proud ; )

In what may be the biggest blogger fail of the year (yes I know it’s only February) I didn’t manage to grab any photos of friends during the actual event – we were too busy catching up and laughing in the 70 degree sunshine on the deck. But I definitely snapped a few pics of the beautiful decor that Minted sent over to help us celebrate!

I picked up a few quiches from Wegman’s (cheaper than Fresh Market and SO delicious) to be the main event of the brunch menu. We also enjoyed Belgian waffles, bagel thins, fruit salad and beautiful Valentine’s donuts! Our mimosa bar included regular and peach champagne, plus orange juice, pink lemonade and an orange pineapple blend. Though everything was delicious, all we really needed was the fantastic company : ) It’s not often we get to have a girls only gathering, especially one with different groups of friends.

I absolutely LOVE throwing parties and planning events like Galentine’s – if you couldn’t already tell – and Minted has been the best partner in making all of the fun happen. If you’re hosting something in the near future, check out all of the beautiful party suites they have to offer! Everything you could possibly need for your event, all wrapped up in one perfect theme and ready to go. And while this is of course, sponsored content, I truly wouldn’t encourage you to shop with Minted unless I loved their products – which I do. Everything is extremely high quality, the customer service is incredibly helpful and I LOVE learning more about the artists who designed the pieces I’ve picked out.

I hope you’re all having a wonderful week so far – only a few more days ’til the weekend is back (with warmer weather for us Philly folks!) Cheers!

Do you ever think about how utterly insane it is that the world expects us to know what we want to do with our lives at age 18? Trust me – I know there are people who had it figured out long before the end of high school (teachers and nurses just seem to somehow KNOW their calling at an early age) but I feel as though the vast majority of us just picked something we A. thought we were good at or B. thought would make the big bucks. Where are you going with this Jac? I majored in communications and I work in advertising, but sometimes I’m certain that my true calling lies in event planning – something I’m reminded of every February when it’s time to throw my annual Galentine’s brunch!

Galentine’s – for those of you who aren’t addicted to Parks & Recreation – is a wonderful holiday that consists of eating breakfast foods with your best girlfriends. Typically falls right before or after Valentine’s day, as your schedule allows. Typically involves champagne, waffles, nail polish, plenty of girl talk, champagne, silly movies and champagne. Did I mention mimosas? Those too.

This year Minted is helping me take my boozy brunch to the next level with some gorgeous decor – and, had I not already sent out a save the date text months ago – I’d have utilized their selection of gorgeous invitations to give my girls all the party details. Because paper products are my JAM. Jelly actually, red raspberry.

Here are my must haves for planning the ultimate Galentine’s party – hopefully you poetic and noble land mermaids enjoy throwing your own girls-only breakfast extravaganza! : )

Food – In previous years, I’ve found that anything “make ahead” is going to be the best option – don’t spend quality chatting time in the kitchen! I usually pick up a couple of quiches from our local Fresh Market and then i’ll have bagels, waffles, fruit and donuts on hand as well. One year we attempted to bake bacon in the shape of hearts, and though it may not have been the prettiest, it definitely was delicious!

Booze – Need I say more? Champagne and plenty of it. No seriously, write down a number of bottles you think you’ll need, then add 2 more. Everyone is going to linger for hours upon end enjoying every last drop of mimosa and conversation. You could also have a Bloody Mary bar if you were particularly invested in vegetables for breakfast ; ) And it can never hurt to have a variety of juices and bottles of water on hand – everyone has to hydrate!

Decor – Go big or go home. Here’s your chance to buy out the entire Valentine’s section of Target’s One Spot and not feel even remotely sorry about it. Banners, garlands, balloons – decoration is where I spare no expense (even if I’m shopping at the Dollar Tree!) but Minted makes it SO EASY to save with their selection of gorgeous party suites. If you select 3 or more items (good luck not selecting every item available) then you automatically save 15% on your order. Boom. Done. P.S. Got a kid who needs classroom cards? Buy $20 or more in Valentine’s cards and get 24 free matching stickers through tonight at midnight with the code BEMINE!

Extras – Here’s where some people would spout off pre-planned activities and recommend table conversation prompts, but I know my girls and I know we’ll have no trouble at all chatting for hours on end. A few things I do enjoy? The perfect playlist (Ray LaMontagne on Pandora, usually), bottles of nail polish scattered around in the hopes that someone will take pity on me and my clumsy left hand, and perhaps a chick flick if we’re really feeling it. In previous years we’ve had adult coloring pages as placemats (huge hit!) and made cards for hospitalized kids.

And there you have it! Start planning now and you can throw your brunch the weekend before or after Valentine’s Day – OR BOTH. #thelimitdoesnotexist – Name that movie and you can score an invite to MY annual Galentine’s party! ; )

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